Monday, October 3, 2011

A black bear early Monday chased a family dog into its central Pennsylvania home, where it attacked a husband and wife inside, according to the state game commission and one of the victims.

Richard Moyer told CNN that he woke up -- as usual -- at 3 a.m. Monday to get ready for work and let out the dog, Brindy, a husky and pit bull mix. The dog sped off outside into the dark woods around the family home in rural Oliver Township, then began to bark and growl.

"It was a mean type of bark, a growl, I just thought, 'Something isn't right,'" Moyer said.

Moyer got a spotlight to see what was going on. As he shined the light into the morning mist, Brindy suddenly came running back toward the house -- followed, closely behind, by a black bear.

The bear chased the dog into the house, where Moyer said it attacked him. The melee woke Moyer's wife Angela, who came down from any upstairs bedroom to help her husband.

Then, the bear turned on Angela Moyer. When it did, Brindy jumped on the bear. At that point, Richard Moyer said he rejoined the fray.

"What are you going to do? I kept my head down and just leapt into the bear," he said.

According to Moyer, the bear became especially aggressive -- grabbing and biting him, as well as clawing at his back and head.

That was until, suddenly, the bear walked outside to the patio and simply sat down.

"If it had wanted to kill me I think it had have gone ahead and done it," said Moyer. "I guess (the bear) was just ticked off at the dog and came after me"

State police eventually arrived on the scene along with ambulances, which took the Moyers to Harrisburg Hospital. By then, the bear had left.

Angela Moyer was bitten several times and was treated for a cracked vertebra, according to her husband. He added that doctors put in 37 staples extending from one side of the back of his head to the other, in addition to puncture wounds from the bear's claws and teeth.

Despite those injuries, by day's end both husband and wife had left the hospital and were home.

There, they reunited with their 10-year-old son, who missed the ordeal.

"He's a heavy sleeper, I guess," said Richard Moyer.

Pennsylvania Game Commission spokesman Gerald Feaser said that black bears are not rare sight in and around Perry County, which he described as "very rural." "To give you an idea, there is one stoplight, and when that happened it was a big shock," he said.

But it's not often that they attack, said Feaser, claiming that black bears "are more timid" than others elsewhere, including in the western United States.

"Usually a bear would be more likely to run from a person or a dog than confront a person or a dog," he continued. "The root cause of most bear encounters in Pennsylvania have been dogs, but usually if a bear smells human scent they'll tuck tail and run."

Feaser said that the Game Commission suspects that the Oliver Township attack was a special circumstance, suspecting that it was likely a female attempting to defend her cubs. He also said there is a "remote chance" that the bear may have rabies.

Feaser said that a Game Commission officer is out in the area setting traps but, as of late Monday afternoon, the bear remained at large. The only way to test an animal for rabies is after it is dead, meaning that -- if caught -- the bear would likely be killed.

"Public health and safety is our main concern," he said. "If caught, the animal will probably be put down."

As to family it attacked, Richard Moyer said matter-of-factly, "We're going to be OK."

"What are the chances?" he added. "I can't win the lottery, but I can get attacked by a bear."

Saturday, October 1, 2011

A 20-month-old girl was pronounced dead at Yale-New Haven Hospital Friday night after being attacked by pit bulls in an apartment, police said.

The three dogs that were in the apartment were euthanized, and the incident is under investigation, according to Sgt. Angelo Moscato.

“We won’t have answers from autopsy for a couple days, but the child from description severely injured by the animal,” Moscato said.

The toddler had been visiting residents of the third-floor apartment at 127 Leete St. with family. Police said the tenants owned the three dogs.

During the visit, the dogs were put into another room, but somehow got out and found the child laying on the floor on a blanket in another room, Moscato said.

Moscato said it’s also unclear if the child was alone at the time of the attack and whether two or three of the dogs were involved. But police were told that, after the attack, two dogs were seen standing near the child, who was bleeding, Moscato said. People in the apartment then put the dogs in another room.

Police and paramedics were dispatched around 6:13 p.m. after receiving a call that a child had been bitten by a dog. When they arrived, the child was unconscious, and paramedics immediately took the toddler to Yale-New Haven Hospital, according to Moscato.

Typically, when a dog bites a person, its owner must decide if the animal should be quarantined or euthanized. Because of the severity of this case and the “aggression” of the animals, the three dogs were euthanized Friday night, Moscato said. They will then be sent to the state police lab for rabies tests, a standard procedure in dog bite cases.

Moscato did not release information about the child or names of those at the apartment. He said it’s unclear if charges are pending because the investigation is in the very early stages.

Update: October 2, 2011 - The following article is by Cynthia Trowbridge, from Digital Journal

Toddler dies after being attacked by pit bulls

A 20-month-old girl was attacked by possibly three pit bulls in an apartment where she was visiting. She was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Skyvalleychronicle.com reports according to police 20-month-old Nevaeh Bryant was in a third-floor apartment visiting her aunt. The report said the three pit bulls were put into another room while the girl was there. The dogs somehow got out and went into a room where the child was lying on the floor on a blanket.

It isn't clear if the girl was alone in the room or how many of the dogs attacked her. The police were told there were two of the dogs standing near the child after the attack. A witness said the toddler was lying in a pool of blood.

The police were called by a neighbor from a downstairs apartment. When the police and paramedics arrived they found the little girl on the floor. She was bleeding and unconscious according to West Haven Police Officer Bret Schneider. She was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The dogs had been put into another room and the police managed to remove them from the apartment. The dogs were euthanized.

Reuters.com reports Officer Schneider said, "We believe all three dogs were involved in the attack, but they have to have (a) necropsy done." A necropsy is a post-mortem examination of the dogs. This will determine how many of the dogs were involved in the mauling of the child.

nhregister.com reports the aunt spoke to reporters but didn't give her name. She told them family members were coming there from the South on Monday.

She said,“I just want to say everybody should pray for her and her family because she was my niece."When asked if the dogs have ever been aggressive before, she shook her head “no.”

Thursday, September 29, 2011

A pit bull that mauled 64-year-old Shashi Sharma last Thursday at the Brookside School in North Merrick, digging its teeth into her arms, legs and head, eluded capture as police closed in on the animal in North Merrick on Tuesday.

Nassau County police officers fired at and possibly wounded the dog, but it ran off and was not found as of press time. Officials described the pit bull as brown and white, and said to stay away from the animal and call 911 immediately if it is spotted.

The dog, which was found in the area of Ott Lane, just north of the Southern State Parkway, around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, escaped into nearby woods along the parkway, causing police to lock down nearby Fayette Elementary School, the Sacred Heart School and the Brookside School. Police cordoned off the area around Ott Lane where the animal was believed to be hiding. Police searched extensively in the woods between the westbound entrance to the Southern State Parkway and Ott Lane, just off Meadowbrook Road.

Police taped off Ott Lane and blocked the entrance to the Southern State Parkway while the search was under way. Two helicopters circled overhead.

Initially, police said they were attempting to push the dog out of the woods onto Ott Lane, where they would shoot it on sight. At one point, they urged all reporters and bystanders to get back so they could extend the barricaded area. About five officers searched the woods, all armed with rifles. At 4:30 p.m., the search was officially called off, and police reopened the entrance to the parkway.

There were eyewitness reports that up to 10 gunshots were heard in the vicinity of Ott Lane during the early afternoon, but police would not confirm those reports.

Nassau County Police searched throughout the weekend for the pit bull that attacked Sharma on Sept. 29 around 11 a.m., but the widespread search failed to turn up the animal. It was one of two pit bulls involved in the mauling. Police shot the other one dead on Thursday.

Claudia Borecky, president of the North Merrick Community Civic Association, who is running for Hempstead Town Board, said the loose pit bull was seen by a member of the North Merrick Neighborhood Watch at 5 p.m. on Monday in the vicinity of South Drive in North Merrick. The dog was also reportedly spotted on North Drive in North Merrick around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

At press time on Tuesday, officials in both the North Merrick and North Bellmore school districts said they were keeping children inside during recess until police say the dog has been caught.

The two pit bulls, which were spotted by a surveillance camera wandering around the Brookside School campus, inexplicably attacked Sharma near a Nassau County senior center on the north side of the school, as Sharma was returning to her car after walking on the track there.

Sharma was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where, at press time, she remained in critical, but stable condition in the intensive care unit, said Shelly Lotenberg, a hospital spokeswoman.

There was no word on who the dogs' owner might be.

The Brookside School serves as the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s administrative office. It was closed on Thursday for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, when the attack occurred, though the senior center at the school was open. A number of youth groups and Central District teams practice at Brookside’s fields in the afternoon. The Central District cancelled all practices at the school until further notice.

A witness at the scene described the attack as horrific, saying the dogs tore skin off the woman. Smith said the victim suffered severe wounds to her left arm and legs, as well as cuts on her head and face.

The woman called 911 from her cell phone. When police arrived at the Brookside School, the pit bulls were still attacking. According to Smith, the dogs began to approach the officers, ready to pounce. After police fired their guns at one dog, killing it, the other ran off.

Ten police cars, along with New York State Trooper and Town of Hempstead Animal Control units, were circling the area around the Brookside School’s athletic fields, and a police helicopter was flying overhead on Thursday.

Borecky said she received an email from a member of the North Merrick Community Civic Association about a pit bull attack earlier on Thursday, around 2: 45 a.m. The email went, "Just wanted to let you know around an hour ago my husband heard yelling and dogs barking, so he went to see what was going on and called 911. An older man was riding his bicycle when he was attacked by two pit bulls. This happened on William Street between Richard Avenue and Maeder Avenue. Several police cars and trucks were back and forth in the area trying to capture the dogs. I just pray that they get them and that the man is OK."

On Tuesday, police cars and a police helicopter were seen in North Merrick, searching for the missing pit bull.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

A woman was walking her two Yorkshire terriers when the other two dogs, not on leads, attacked on Saturday night.

She is being treated at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

Three men were with the offending dogs. One dog was an off-white pitbull-type, the other a brown Staffordshire bull terrier.

Gwent Police said the woman was walking along Alexandra Road near the Waterloo Hotel at 2215 BST on Saturday when the dogs attacked her pets.

She tried to intervene, but was bitten on her arm.

The attacking dogs were not on leads and were accompanied by three men who fled following the incident.

Officers and specialist dog handlers are trying to trace the animals, and people are advised to call police on 101, rather than approach the animals.

One is described as off-white in colour, with a long nose and tail. It is thought to be a pitbull-type, similar in size to a labrador, and was called Kane by the men who shouted at it, said police.

The second is described as a brown Staffordshire bull terrier, with a long tail.

Update: September 26, 2011 - The following article is by Lynn Curwin, from Digital Journal

Three men arrested following dog attack

Three men were arrested in Wales after an attack by two loose dogs resulted in the death of one small dog, and left the owner and her second dog with injuries.

A woman was walking her two Yorkshire terriers in Pill at around 10.15pm on Saturday when two loose dogs went after the smaller animals. When she tried to protect her pets she was bitten on the arm.

The BBC reported that the three men who were with the dogs fled following the incident.

One of the Yorkies died as a result of its injuries and the woman was treated at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

According to the South Wales Argus three men, aged 23, 30, and 31, were arrested Sunday afternoon under section one of the Dangerous Dog Act and two dogs are being kept by police while an investigation is carried out.

Wales Online described one of the dogs as an off-white Pit Bull-type terrier and the other as a brown Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a long tail.

Irresponsible owners have caused much harm for the reputation of this type of dog.

A 2010 Daily Mail article reported that almost half of the dogs which arrive at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home are Staffies - and that often it is because they have not received proper training.

In a 2010 article in The Guardian Roy Hattersley pointed out that people should not judge specific breeds, but should support harsher penalties for irresponsible owners.

"The so-called fighting breeds – particularly the much-maligned Staffordshire bull terrier – are as much in need of protection as the people who fear them," he wrote.

Monday, September 19, 2011

A Bladen County grand jury has indicted an 18-year-old mother after dogs mauled her 9-day-old daughter to death last month, authorities said Monday.

Chelsea Briggs, of 10140 N. College St. in Clarkton, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after a grand jury met in special session on Friday.

Addyson Paige Camerino was killed on Aug. 30 after several dogs in the home attacked her, authorities said. Five dogs were removed from the home, which authorities said was shared by Briggs, the baby, Briggs' parents, brothers and a tenant.

Neighbors said the family's dogs included a rottweiler and a pit bull.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

The owner of a dog shot dead by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies Saturday is speaking out about the way the situation was handled.

Deputies were canvassing a Norwalk neighborhood for a man with a gun at 161 Street about 3:30 p.m.

Eddie Perez says they asked him to remove his pit bull from the backyard so they could search it. He says he told the deputies he needed a leash for the 2-year-old dog, Ziggy, but says he was ordered to bring the dog out anyway.

A neighbor captured what happened next on camera: Ziggy spotted the deputies' canine and broke free to attack the police dog.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A child was severely injured in a dog attack inside a west Charlotte home Tuesday afternoon.

The incident occurred at 5:20 p.m. at 5201 Pinebrook Drive and involved a pit bull dog in the home, the police report said.

The 1-year-old girl suffered "severe lacerations" and was transported to Carolinas Medical Center-Main with life-threatening injuries where she immediately underwent surgery.

Tuesday night, the child's condition was upgraded from life-threatening to critical.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the dog's owner voluntarily surrendered the dog to animal control officers and the owner cooperated with police.

The CMPD's Youth and Family Services Division is investigating the case due to the severity of the child's injuries.

Investigators have not said if any charges will be filed against the dog's owner, or what circumstances led to the baby being attacked.

Update: September 14, 2011 - The following article is by Amy Cowman, from WCNC:

Pit bull mauls 1-year old baby girl

A 1-year- old girl is in critical condition Tuesday after being mauled by a pit bull.

It happened Tuesday around 5:30 in the evening at a house in West Charlotte.

Debra Spann lives just a couple houses down on Pinebrook Drive from where the 1- year- old baby girl was attacked by a pit bull. She was home and saw the aftermath in the street.

“It was really very emotional to watch, very. Just so sad,” Spann said. "There was a lady very hysterical, and she was like ‘I couldn't get him off of her,’" said Spann.

Spann says she saw the mother run out with the baby while another woman called the ambulance.

"They had towels around her neck so I can only assume the dog grabbed her by the neck, but it was really an awful scene to hear all these ladies screaming hysterical,"added Spann.

According to the neighbors, the home belongs to the mother's boyfriend's parents and they were over there visiting.

A police report says the mother is Janae Johnson. She lives in apartments of Fernwood where neighbor Sean Carter says he's just seen her in passing with the 1 -year -old baby girl and another young child.

"Typical mother. Very protective, making sure she doesn't go down the stairs wrong you know, "said Carter.

According to police, doctors operated on the baby Tuesday night, and she is still in critical condition.

As for the dog, it was taken away by Animal Control. In fact, Spann says she believes they might have had seven or eight pit bulls at the house.

"They actually had a total of six Animal Control vans and I know for a fact they filled three of them," said Spann.

Now she's just praying for the baby and that it doesn't happen again.

"I hope this will bring attention to people concerning animal control and safety even in your own home because sometimes things can turn tragic," said Spann.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Authorities have broken up a large dog-fighting operation in an area of northern Richland County that has drawn scrutiny in the past over drug-dealing and pit-bull fighting.

Acting on a tip, deputies raided a dog fight off Campground Road late Thursday. People watching the fight fled, and some dogs scattered through the wooded area of rolling hills and mobile homes north of Interstate 20.

Stanley W. Taylor Jr., 23, was jailed after being charged with two counts of violating the animal fighting and baiting act.

Deputies spent part of Thursday night and Friday seeking other suspects and rounding up loose dogs, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. Deputies had seized 24 dogs by Friday.

"This was a large-scale dog-fighting operation that we feel has been going on for some time," Lott said Friday.

He said he knows from personal experience that dog-fighting was occurring in the area near Campground Road, but it had been difficult to locate pit-bull fights until the department received Thursday's tip about barking dogs.

During the past five years, Lott said he has found about 15 dead pit bulls on hunting land he owns not far from Campground Road. "These were pit bulls. They were killed either in the dog-fighting, or were unsuccessful (fighters), and were killed by the owners and were just dumped."

Most of the dogs seized this week were pit bulls, the main animals used in dog fights. Lott said the seized dogs were being kept at an undisclosed location as the investigation unfolds.

When authorities arrived at the fight scene Thursday, they found some dogs chained up and others running loose, the sheriff said.

Court records show the Campground Road area has a history of dog-fighting activity.

According to a 2003 federal court transcript, a mobile home on Campground Road was used to receive drugs from Georgia and keep pit bulls bred for sale to dog-fighters.

Update: September 12, 2011 - The following article is byJason Old, from WCSC:Dog fighting bust pushes other dogs out of shelter

A dog fighting bust last week has had a potentially deadly ripple-effect inside the Midlands animal shelter community.

One Midlands animal shelter needs help taking care of at least 30 dogs displaced from Richland County's animal shelter by dozens of dogs confiscated from a dog fighting bust that took place last week.

On September 8, deputies stumbled upon a dog fight taking place in a wooded area off of Camp Ground Rd. in North Columbia. When the people running the fight saw law enforcement, they all scattered. 30 dogs, mostly pit bulls, were confiscated from the scene.

Animal control ordinances in Richland County dictate that the dogs from the fighting ring must be held at Richland County Animal Care. In order to make room for the confiscated fighting dogs, the county shelter needed to move or euthanize dozens of dogs.

Pawmetto Lifeline stepped in and offered to care for and provide shelter or foster homes to the displaced dogs. The shelter sent out an urgent plea Friday evening to try to help the pups. The shelter said it needs at least $200 per dog to ensure that it can cover the housing and medical care of the canines.

Had Pawmetto Lifeline not intervened, it is possible those dogs would have been put down by Richland County Animal Care because the confiscated pit bulls have to be kept alive during the investigation into the fighting ring.

Over the weekend, the shelter raised almost half the money it believes it needs to save the original shelter dogs. Some of the dogs are available for adoption, but several of them need medical care before being considered. Click here to contact Pawmetto Lifeline.

One person was arrested in the raid, but deputies are still searching for the people who ran from the fight.

Ayen Chol's family told news.com.au they would like to see a blanket ban on savage breeds like the one that killed their daughter last month.

And in a win for parents across the nation, Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland has promised to raise uniform bans with his state and territory counterparts, saying "we should be doing everything we can to prevent these kinds of horrific attacks."

He added: "One attack on a child is too many."

The Victorian Government passed urgent dog laws following Ayen's death three weeks ago when a pit bull entered her family home.

But other states are lagging behind and the girl's grieving parents have called for a national ban to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

"We would like that type of dog, the pit bull, to be banned and any other dangerous breed," the family told news.com.au through a spokesman.

"That should apply Australia-wide."

Ayen died while clutching her mother's leg as the dog chased her through the front door. Her 31-year-old and five-year-old cousins were also attacked by the animal.

States and territories are responsible for their own dog laws, but now the Federal Government will step in and lead an overhaul.

Mr McClelland told news.com.au there needed to be national consistency on registration, penalties and management of dangerous dogs

"Clearly, we should be doing everything we can to avoid these kinds of horrific attacks. Unfortunately, they occur far too frequently. One attack on a child is one too many," he said.

He said the discussion would also look at which laws were most effective and how best to enforce them.

"Ayen Chol’s death touched the heart of the community and every parent, and reinforced the need for dog owners and the wider community to work together to make our homes and streets as safe as possible," he said.

Only five of the eight Australian jurisdictions automatically restrict dangerous breeds.

And some jurisdictions still allow these breeds to be sold or given away.

The Northern Territory has no laws regarding dangerous animals and relies entirely on local council by-laws.

This comes after fears pit bull owners have started dumping their pets on the streets of Melbourne to avoid a recent crackdown.

After the attack, Premier Ted Baillieu said the incident was unacceptable and dangerous breeds had lost the right to exist.

"There cannot be a more tragic situation than to see a young child like this killed in this horrible, horrible way," he said.

Under the new laws, dog inspectors were sent on a search and destroy mission to rid Victoria of thousands of pit bull terriers.

Council officers are now armed with seize and destroy powers for unregistered restricted breed dogs.

But there have been at least four pit bulls caught wandering the northern suburbs of Melbourne in the past week.

Rangers fear the dogs are being dumped by owners trying to avoid being caught breeding or importing the dangerous animals.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

THE peak vet association has warned that its members will face pressure from dog owners under laws designed to crack down on pit bull terriers following an attack that killed a four-year-old girl.

The death of Ayen Chol, who was savaged by a neighbour's pit bull cross at home last month as she clung to her mother, has spurred the Baillieu government to bring forward regulations requiring all pit bulls to be registered by the end of this month.

Unregistered dogs can be immediately seized and destroyed.

The legislation provides visual guidelines identifying pit bull features. Any dog meeting that description will be considered a pit bull unless the owner has a certificate identifying its breed.

Australian Veterinary Association Victorian president Susan Maastricht said it was difficult to conclusively identify breeds by appearance, and vets could face pressure from clients to certify dogs as non-pit bulls when the breed was unclear.

Suburban councils and stray-dog homes say some owners are voluntarily handing pit bull crosses to be euthanased. And Hume Council, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, has caught and destroyed four pit bull-type dogs found on the streets in the past week, sparking fears that owners have decided to abandon dogs rather than have them registered.

The association is campaigning against the laws, arguing that targeting specific breeds was unlikely to reduce the risk of attack.

Melbourne vet and former AVA state president Bill Harkin said the government's criteria for identifying pit bulls could also apply to other breeds, leaving vets vulnerable to lawsuits if dogs certified as non-pit bulls attacked someone.

"I'm sure the government wouldn't indemnify us in subsequent claims, and our professional indemnity insurance won't cover us for those sorts of amounts that could occur if a child was badly injured or killed," he said.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

With the Philadelphia Eagles' glorious regular season upon us, there already is a scent of victory in the air.

The Eagles' $100 million quarterback, Michael Vick, will forever be associated with a breed of dog that has recently enjoyed a series of triumphs over adversaries. They range from a pit bull attack on a carriage horse in the historic Old City section of Philadelphia to a splendid display of teamwork in which five pit bulls ripped a Philadelphia woman's face and head to shreds, killing her inside her home.

Other recent pit bull targets included a 10-year-old girl in Philadelphia; a suburban Delaware County woman who was attacked, along with two people who tried to help her, as she retreated into her own car; and a little Chihuahua, killed by a pit bull on a New Jersey beach set aside for people with pet dogs.

Last month, an Alburtis man pleaded guilty after siccing his monster on a stranger in Upper Milford Township while yelling, "My mom is Satan."

In Lancaster County, the owner of a pit bull was let off with probation and a $150 fine after her dog attacked and injured a 5-year-old boy in a park.

One gruesome incident occurred recently up in Schenectady, N.Y., where three pit bulls teamed up to blitz a woman as she walked down a street, tearing off her ears and much of her face, although she survived. The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society responded to that attack by announcing it was seeking a $25,000 grant to work on reversing the "bad rep" of pit bulls.

Similarly, when a pit bull attacked the carriage horse, Melissa Levy, executive director of the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, said the dog is "actually a sweetheart." It must be that the horse was asking for it by cheering for the St. Louis Rams.

In any case, it seems the animal rights crowd holds some animals — Chihuahuas and horses, for example — in lower regard than pit bulls, and humans don't count at all, especially not the small children who seem to be a favorite target of the sweethearts.

The rash of recent pit bull attacks coincides with the football frenzy swirling around Vick, who has been elevated to heroic role-model status by Eagles owner Jeff Lurie. The only thing that matters to Lurie and Eagles fans is whether Vick can help bring victory over the Rams on Sunday.

Vick spent nearly two years in prison for running an illegal dogfighting ring. He has been more successful dodging other glitches, from his presence at a saloon shoot-em-up involving one of his dogfighting cohorts, to accusations in court that he knowingly infected a woman with genital herpes, to failure to pay child support. In the herpes lawsuit, settled for an undisclosed sum, Vick was accused of hiding his ailment by getting treatment under the alias "Ron Mexico," a name that shows up on number 7 jerseys worn by some fans. Boy, what class!

The message the Vick/Lurie team want to send young people: Don't worry, being a lowlife criminal and engaging in other reprehensible conduct is an excellent way to achieve fame and fortune. (Lurie, by the way, is a former Hollywood wheeler-dealer and educator who taught young people — are you ready for this? — social policy.)

Meanwhile, Vick and other pit bull fans can celebrate another form of victory. Nearly all suggestions for "breed specific" legislation to protect human beings, or for tougher controls on dogs that are obviously dangerous, have been crushed by the politically powerful animal rights lobby.

Any problem with pit bulls or similar breeds, the lobby keeps yelping, is not because of the innate traits of savagery bred into these dogs for centuries. It's only because bad owners force the lovable dogs to be nasty, or because the victims did something wrong to provoke the attacks.

Still, some of us fret over statistics.

The http://www.dogbites.org website says 71 percent of dog attacks that injure people are by pit bulls or similar breeds, even though such breeds represent only 5 percent of the American dog population. There are 100 times as many cases of bodily harm caused by those breeds as by big bad Dobermans.

The federal Centers for Disease Control says there are 800,000 dog attacks on people each year, and a half of the victims are children. The CDC says the biggest share of fatal attacks, by an overwhelming margin, involve pit bulls and Rottweilers.

So it's rah-rah for the home team, for that team's thuggish role-model quarterback, and for the savage breed of dog with which he is associated and which continues to roll up victory after victory over horses, Chihuahuas, little children and other villains.

Authorities probing the brutal slayings of a working-class Queens couple want to know why the family's pooch, infamous in the neighborhood for being vicious and cranky, didn't even bark, much less attack, the supposed gunman who first shot the couple's youngest son outside their home early Friday, law-enforcement sources said yesterday.

The son, Shane Jaggarnauth, 23, has told cops a gunman pushed himself through the front door of the family's Springfield Gardens home as he was letting the pit bull outside at 4 a.m.

Shane told investigators he was then shot in the shoulder by the shooter -- whom he couldn't describe at all -- before the killer ran to his parents' bedroom and fired a slew of bullets at them.

His father, Sugrim, 64, who works in a print shop in Manhattan, was shot once in the head. His mother, Rosie, 56, a clerk at Home Depot, was riddled with five bullets fired execution-style into her head and torso.

At one point before she died, the hysterical mother called 911, screaming, "I hear two shots. Hurry! Hurry!" Her last words, according to investigators, were, "We've been shot."

Shane called 911 four minutes later. He was hospitalized over the weekend and released.

The Grayson Street home was not ransacked. The only thing missing is a Toyota RAV4, the family car.

Both Shane and his older brother, Shawn, 30, were questioned over the weekend by police.

Shawn went on TV on Saturday, telling NBC News, "Whoever did this is a ruthless person."

Sources yesterday said surveillance footage from a local diner shows Shawn, described by neighbors as a "rowdy guy," eating with his girlfriend at the time of the murders.

Both men have had brushes with the law, authorities said.

Shane has a sealed criminal arrest, and Shawn has at least two criminal charges, in 2008 for drugs, weapons possession and trespassing, and last year again for narcotics.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Behind Jim and Bettye Baker's Seagoville home sits the kennel for Oak Hill Animal Rescue, the pet organization the Bakers founded to save animals from being euthanized.
Since it opened in 2006, the Bakers said they have found homes for at least 500 dogs.
So when a veterinarian called them about an ailing pit bull pup named Chili, the decision to adopt her was a no-brainer.
When Chili was 8 weeks old, someone threw her over a fence onto concrete, breaking her back and cracking her pelvis. A vet told the Bakers she had suffered neurological damage and would never be able to use her hind legs.
Chili grew to be 42 pounds. Her chest is broad and muscular. The Bakers swear she can smile because when Chili pants, the corners of her mouth curl into a wide grin.
Eventually, Chili learned to get around by using her front legs and dragging the rest of her body. But the dragging took a toll on her tail, which is covered in scar tissue.
When she was a year old, the Bakers discovered Eddie's Wheels, a Massachusetts-based company that makes lightweight aluminum wheelchairs for pets. A padded saddle in the shape of a figure-eight holds their back legs in place.
The Bakers bought one of the wheelchairs - which cost between $325 and about $1,400 - for Chili, who enjoys running around the backyard.
"She just flies in the thing," Jim Baker said.
Last year, the Bakers were with Chili at a pet adoption event in North Dallas when a woman approached them.
"This dog needs to go to Baylor," said the lady, a nurse at Baylor Hospital who was familiar with its Animal-Assisted Therapy Program. According to a study by the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University, a majority of patients who suffered from acute psychiatric problems showed lower anxiety levels after interacting with therapy dogs.
But not all dogs who try out make the cut for Baylor's program.
"Just because your dog likes people or is a friendly dog does not mean that they would make a good therapy dog," said Linda Marler, the program's director.
Animals accepted at Baylor must pass a 15-minute test during which pans are dropped, and crutches and wheelchairs circle the dog to determine its reaction. There is also a pain tolerance portion to make sure the dog will not bark or bare its teeth if it is hurt.
Chili and Arlo, a disabled dachshund adopted by the Bakers three years ago, have been a big hit with Baylor patients. Of the 86 dogs making rounds at the hospital, they are the only two disabled ones, and this month marks their first anniversary of bringing smiles to patients' faces.
At a therapy gym inside the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation, some patients laughed recently when they spotted the canine visitors. Others stared, wide-eyed.
"Patients just absolutely love them," Jim Baker said. "There's something about that contact, seeing a dog in a wheelchair who is so happy and thriving."
Kristen Hill, an occupational therapist at the institute, has seen the dogs repeatedly boost the attitudes of her patients.
"It definitely makes them smile," Hill said. "They're able to relate to the dogs" because most patients use wheelchairs themselves."
Tanner Perales, 17, was lying down on a therapy bed when he spotted Arlo. The dog has a degenerative spinal disease, a common condition in dachshunds because of their long backs, and his lower body is paralyzed. Now 6 years old and weighing 12 pounds, he is short and scrawny. When he looks up, his long, chocolate brown ears flop back.
The animal's visit lifted the spirits of Perales, who broke his neck in June when he jumped into a lake unaware that the water was only a foot deep.
When Bettye Baker placed Arlo on the bed with Perales, the dog nuzzled the teen's arm with his nose. Chili dropped by, too.
"It was neat seeing them," Perales said with a smile.
"She's adorable!" said Sandy Wilson as she stroked Chili's head and looked into the dog's brown eyes. "You've made me so happy today."
Wilson, from North Dallas, had a brain tumor removed earlier this year and was at the institute for four weeks. She said therapy dogs are "nonjudgmental."
"Especially these two," Wilson said. "They're handicapped. But look, they're happy."
Although the wheelchairs offer Chili and Arlo more independence, they still have some limitations. When Chili is outside in the yard, she sometimes runs into a hole, flipping her wheelchair.
The dogs can only use their wheelchairs for about four hours at a time because it's so demanding on their upper bodies. And both animals have what Bettye Baker calls "plumbing problems." Chili wears a skirt to hide the diaper she wears when she visits patients. Because she is in a wheelchair, she can't squat to relieve herself like other dogs.
And with Arlo, the Bakers have to press his bladder to make him urinate.
"If somebody else had them, (they) probably would have just been euthanized," Bettye Baker said.
Instead, Jim Baker said Chili and Arlo are an inspiration to patients who face similar struggles.
The dogs, he said, have "been a blessing for a lot of people."

A six-year-old male pitbull tethered behind a house was found stung to death by bees Wednesday.

A bee exterminator was at the house in the 200 block of Plum Tree Drive Thursday morning to assess the situation.
As of July 1, it is illegal to tether a dog unless you are physically present with the dog. The pitbull's owner, Concepcion Medina, was inside the house at the time of the attack and called 9-1-1 when she heard her dog named Chico, yelping during the attack.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Fire-Rescue and Animal Care & Control all responded to the home. Firefighters sprayed the dog down with foam but it was already dead.
Medina was cited for violating the county's tethered dog ordinance. Animal Care & Control gave Medina a $100 ticket. She told authorities the dog was tethered because it had a habit of getting loose and running around the neighborhood, although Animal Care & Control has no records of problems involving the dog.
She has three other dogs she keeps in the house. Medina told authorities she knew about the bees about a week ago but didn't have the money to remove them because she is on disability and her husband is out of work.
Bee remover Tim Barbeck came out Thursday morning to kill the hive for free.

A newborn baby was killed after it was attacked by a family dog in northwest Harris County on Saturday.
It happened at a home at 16542 Cypress Bridge near Whispering Cypress around 8 p.m.
Deputies said the 13-day-old child was left in a swinging sleeper in the same room as the family’s Pit Bull when the incident occurred.
An adult who was in the other room hear the noise and found the child badly injured. The newborn was airlifted to the hospital, where the child later died.
The Pit Bull, which weighed more than 100 pounds, was taken by Harris County Animal Control and put in quarantine.
The case will be referred to a grand jury, which will decide if charged should be field.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Pit bulls would have to be kept indoors or in a covered kennel and walked with a muzzle under a new ordinance proposed in Egelston Township.
The township board is expected to discuss the ordinance, which was prepared by the planning commission, at its Sept. 19 meeting.
Based on Muskegon Township's ordinance, the proposal targets dangerous animals ranging from wolves to poisonous snakes to elephants. But the primary target of the ordinance are pit bulls, also known as American pit bull terriers or Staffordshire bull terriers, or dogs with the “appearance and characteristics of being predominately” pit bull.
Also subject to the ordinance would be “any dog or cat having a disposition or propensity to attack or bite any person or animal without provocation.”
The ordinance would require owners of pit bulls and other dangerous animals to register with the township clerk within 90 days of the ordinance's effective date, and annually thereafter.
Other proposed requirements of owners include:
• Confining pit bulls or other dangerous animals indoors or in a locked pen or kennel that has secure sides and a top attached to the sides.
• Keeping dangerous animals muzzled and on a 4-foot leash any time they are outside of the home or pen.
• Not keeping a dangerous animal inside a house when “the windows or screen doors are the only obstacle preventing the dangerous animal from exiting.”
• Posting prominently on their property, within 10 days of the ordinance's effective date, a sign that reads “Beware of Dangerous Animal.” A similar sign also would have to be posted on the animal's pen or kennel.
• Providing proof to the township clerk of public liability insurance in a single-incident amount of $50,000 for bodily injury or death or property damage as a result of the animal's actions.
Anyone who doesn't comply with the ordinance faces having their animal seized and removed from the township.
Township Planning Commission Chairman Gerald Luttrull said the township board had requested the planners come up with a dangerous animal ordinance. Luttrull said he didn't want to discuss “specifics” of the ordinance.
“This was asked by the township board for us to look at,” Luttrull said. “It's up to them now.”
Luttrull said the planning commission reviewed about a half-dozen ordinances before settling on the one adopted by Muskegon Township. He said that was because Egelston Township contracts with Muskegon Township for ordinance enforcement.
Exempt from all aspects of the ordinance would be guard dogs used to provide security on commercial premises.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Five two-week old puppies were found abandoned near the restrooms at a northern Arizona park Wednesday.

At around 10 a.m. an Arizona Department of Public Transportation worker discovered the puppies inside a covered box at Lake Montezuma Park. One of the puppies appeared close to death due to the heat, a Yavapai County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said.
According to YCSO, an Animal Countrol Officer rushed the liiter to the Sedona Humane Society, where they were examined by the on-duty veterinarian and provided food and water.
The puppies remain in the care of Humane Society staff, who will continue to monitor their condition.
According to YCSO, the puppies appear to be about two-weeks old, and are described as possibly a mix of Shepherd and Pit Bull breeds. There is a tri-colored male, a tan and black male, a white and black male, a tan female and a black and tan female.
The box that contained the puppies is yellow and white, with the brand "Bacardi" printed on the exterior.
According to YCSO, a plain white t-shirt was found covering the box.
If anyone has information identifying the persons responsible for abandoning the five puppies, YCSO is urging people to call them at (928) 771-3260, or they can contact Yavapai Silent Witness at 1-800-932-3232.
When calling, please refer to case number 11-027975.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Caledonia Street. A caller reported he had encountered a person walking a pit bull on a bike path and felt unsafe. The caller inquired which types of weapons he could legally carry on his person for self-defense. Advice was given.

Friday, August 26, 2011

The Postal Service is once again delivering to the area around 28th Street and McDowell Road in Phoenix. Earlier in the week they were worried about their carriers being bitten by stray dogs in the area.
Julie Utley with the U.S. Postal Service in Phoenix commented on the matter Friday.
"The carrier was out delivering mail and noticed that there were some stray dogs in the area," Utley said. "Out of the eight animals that were stray, or running around, four of them were pitbulls.
"The carrier felt threatened. We train them in a situation where they feel threatened by an animal that they are to stop delivery, contact a supervisor and the supervisor will notify animal control."
The post offices' theory is people are taking their unwanted animals to this area and dumping them.
The area has been a problem in the past.
"That day that carrier did not get bitten, but back in May there was a carrier that had been bitten once in that area and then was treated," Utley said. "In that area alone we've had three dog bites year to date."
If mail suddenly stops being delivered to your area it's recommended you contact the post office and they will make arrangements with you to ensure you receive your mail.

An off-duty Taft Police officer shot and killed a pit bull that turned on her after attacking her dog at her Bakersfield home Thursday morning.
Veronica Sandoval fired multiple times at the pit bull and killed it in the yard of her southwest Bakersfield home.
Bakersfield Police investigated and said it was “ a clear cut case of self defense.”
Sandoval told the BPD she had had repeated problems with the aggressive dog in the past.
Thursday, about 8 a.m. she went into her yard after hearing her two small dogs barking.
At that point, the dog charged her and she fired her weapon multiple times, killing the pit bull.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

A man told police Wednesday he fired two shots at a pitbull that he said was "mauling" his cat, which died following the apparent attack, according to a report released Thursday.
Port St. Lucie police went to an address in the 2000 block of Southwest Trenton Lane and spoke to the cat's owner, a 42-year-old man. He said he was in his home when he heard a "commotion" outside.
He said he looked outside and saw a pitbull "mauling" his cat. He ran outside, yelling at the dog to stop.
The dog, he said, wouldn't let go of his cat. He kicked the dog and got his .40 caliber Glock handgun from inside his home.
He fired one shot and thought he missed because the dog didn't stop. He fired a second shot and the dog dropped the cat before running north on Southwest Trenton Lane.
The cat died.
The owner of the pitbull, a 40-year-old woman who lives in the 2000 block of Southwest Larchmont Lane, was told it's her responsibility to keep the dog, which was shot twice, on her property.
The pitbull's injuries weren't life threatening.
No arrests were made. The pitbull owner got a written warning.

A 61-year-old man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after police said he tried to take an aggressive pit bull onto a TriMet bus in North Portland.

Police shot and killed the dog after it charged an officer during the incident.

Richard Cook faces charges of reckless endangering, interfering with a peace officer, second-degree menacing and disorderly conduct. He was lodged in the Multnomah County Detention Center on $9,000 bail.

The incident began at about 4:30 p.m. when Transit Police Division officers were called to a TriMet bus at Lombard Street and North Interstate Avenue, where a man was tried to board the bus with an aggressive dog.

When the officers arrived, the dog charged one of them and was shot.

Police have not released the names of the officers involved in the shooting.

I am surprised that an enlightened burg like Carrboro, the Paris of the Piedmont, is still allowing dogs to be chained day in and day out in this brutal weather.
I am a Meals on Wheels volunteer who witnesses dogs in appalling situations, chained in the unrelenting heat from morning ‘til night, day in and day out sometimes without water. I have Carrboro Animal Control logged into my cell phone but the officer’s only recourse is to go to the house and tell the dog owners that they must give the dog water and the reception he gets is not altogether friendly.
There is a big old pit bull with a pad lock on his heavy chain collar and a heavy chain attached to the collar. He has obviously seen some unpleasant “action” as he is quite covered with scars.
I have not only called Animal Control in Carrboro but also in Chapel Hill to see if I could get some help for this suffering animal.
Carrboro presents itself as an enlightened community. Come on Carrboro, prove it. How the heck did they get an exemption from the no chain law for Orange County?

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Two children and five dogs were removed Tuesday from a Pompano Beach home where they were living in filth, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.
According to the arrest report, a neighbor called to the home in the 1700 block of Northeast 48th Court, reporting that dogs had been barking for about 12 hours.
Officers went to the home of Lindsay Wallin, 22, which they said looked abandoned and had an overgrown lawn covered in garbage. Wallin gave the officers permission to look around the back yard and inside her home.
In the back yard, the officers discovered a pit bull mix in a too-small cage, covered in fleas, lying in its own filth without any food or water. They also discovered three malnourished puppies with their ribs sticking out, with no food or water, and a fifth dog tethered to a tree in the yard without food, water or shelter, according to the report.
The officers took the dogs away, then proceeded to the house.
Inside the home, where a 5-year-old and a 6-month-old live with Wallin, officers said they discovered trash strewn around, no flooring, mold and several cockroaches. In the arrest report, police said the fridge was full of rotted food, and the room smelled "awful." The officers also said they found cockroaches in Wallin's bed and in a crib.
The children were taken into protective custody, and Wallin was arrested. She faces charges of cruelty toward a child, child neglect, abandonment and possession of cannabis.
Wallin's father, Jon Wallin, owns the home. The family blames the recent trouble on an ongoing feud with a neighbor, not neglect.
"It took one hour to clean the house," Jon Wallin said.
"So your position is that the house is not that dirty?" Local 10's Terrell Forney asked.
"No. It had some clutter, yes, but no," he said.

A Buncombe County woman says she could have been killed by a dog attack Monday evening.
Christy Palucha suffered severe injuries when a pit bull bit her on the leg and face while she was walking near her home at the North View Mobile Home Park near Weaverville.
The dog ripped open an eyelid and mangled her ear.
She could have bled to death from a gash on her neck if the dog had bitten her an inch lower.
She says she's lucky she didn't lose her eye, and wonders why anyone would keep such a dangerous animal.
She is recovering from surgery to repair the injuries.
The dog's owner says it escaped through a window in his trailer, and ran down a bank to the street where Palucha was walking.
He pulled the dog off Palucha, and says it is gentle and plays with his grandson.
But he says he would voluntarily allow Animal Control officers to put down the dog because of the attack.

A a couple was sentenced today to 12 years each in prison in the death of her two-year-old child, Shaianna Hare, who was strangled by the couple's pet Burmese python in their Oxford home.
Jaren Hare, 21, and her former live-in boyfriend, Charles "Jason" Darnell, 34, had been convicted in July by a Sumter County jury on third-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect and had faced up to 45 years in prison.
In their arguments for a lighter sentence, lawyers for the defendants called the July 1, 2009 death a horrible accident and tagged the snake docile and a family pet with which children in the couple's home regularly played.
The Attorney Ismael Solis had compared it to a pit bull house pet that "just went crazy" when the snake crawled out of its shabby aquarium, slithered down the hallway and climbed into Shaianna crib, wrapped around the child's body and strangled her.
The snake apparently tried to ingest the child.
But Judge William Hallman said unlike domestic animals, the couple knew the snake was a wild animal that ate small mammals, considering Darnell regularly fed it road kill squirrels.
Hallman compared the snake to a pet alligator.
"This child was a small mammal which is on the menu for a wild animal," said Hallman before he sentenced the couple.
Prosecutor Pete Magrino had argued the snake had escaped its aquarium a number of times, including hours before it was found wrapped around the lifeless body of Shaianna.
The couple were given 12 years on the manslaughter charge and five years probation on the neglect charge. The murder conviction was dropped since defendants can't serve two convictions on killing the same person.
The couple had rejected a plea deal for 10 years in prison before the August trial.
Both the couple's lawyers cited the not guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony case, reached one week before Darnell and Hare were found guilty, as helping to lead to the jury finding the defendants guilty and a harsher punishment.

Two of three pit bulls that attacked a 58-year-old woman as she walked along a narrow city street early Monday have been euthanized, according to authorities.
The adult male and female dogs were put down Tuesday at the Animal Protective Foundation in Scotia, according to people with knowledge of the investigation. The third animal was transported to the Montgomery County SPCA in Amsterdam where it will be checked for rabies and quarantined for 10 days before also being euthanized.
In what a Schenectady animal control officer described as one of the worst dog attacks he has seen in his two decades on the job, the three dogs pounced on the woman, whose name has not been released. The incident began shortly before 1 a.m. Monday as the victim walked on the sidewalk along the 300 block of Hulett Street between Schenectady and Albany streets in the city's Hamilton Hill neighborhood.
The victim remained Wednesday at Albany Medical Center Hospital. Her condition could not immediately be determined.
Emilia Falcon, who lives with her children next door to where the woman was attacked, recalled being awakened by the victim's desperate cries for help.
"They were dragging and dragging her and tearing at her head," she said Wednesday, pointing to the overgrown grass on the front lawn of 348 Hulett St., where the incident happened. "It was very ugly and sad to see."
Falcon said she didn't have her cell phone to call for help.
Babette Anderson said she dialed 9-1-1 after also being awakened by the victim's screams. She dashed onto her porch but soon darted back inside to call police.
Anderson, who lives adjacent to the site of the attack, described seeing the dogs "on the ground biting her all over her head. She was just screaming and saying, 'Stop, somebody help me, please.' "
Both Anderson and Falcon said they didn't know the victim but have seen her walking around the neighborhood. Once police were able to get the dogs off the woman, Falcon said, she was disoriented, with blood dripping from her face. Her arms appeared to be mangled.
Police had to use a Taser on one of the pit bulls and captured the other two with a pole used by animal control officers, authorities said.
Police are continuing their investigation but, as of Wednesday afternoon, the owner of the dogs did not face criminal charges. The owner, who police have not identified, was cited for a dangerous dog violation under the city ordinance.
If found guilty of the violation, the dog owner could be fined.
The owner told police he had the animals inside a gate that someone opened.
At the home identified by neighbors as the place where the pit bulls had been kept, a man who answered the door said his buddy, who owned the animals, was not home.

Update August 24, 2011 - The following article is by Steven Cook, Daily Gazette:

Woman mauled by pit bulls expected to survive; owner of dogs ticketed

A 58-year-old woman attacked and mauled by three pit bulls early Monday is expected to survive, police said today.
The woman, whose identity wasn’t released, was attacked on the sidewalk by the dogs at about 3:30 a.m. Monday on Hulett Street.
Officers responded, using a Taser to subdue the dog that appeared to be the most aggressive, getting it off the woman. The two other dogs then retreated, police said.
The woman suffered multiple injuries to her face, ears and arms. She was treated at the scene by city fire department EMS personnel and taken to Albany Medical Center for treatment.
The owner of the dogs was identified as 21-year-old Jasmine L. Tirado, of 347 Hulett St. She came out of her house to get the dogs, police said.
She soon surrendered the dogs to the city’s animal control officer. Two of the dogs have since been euthanized, the third is expected to be after an observation period, police said.
Samples from the dogs are expected to be sent for rabies testing.
Tirado was issued an appearance ticket, accused of having one unlicensed dog, along with three appearance tickets for harboring dangerous dogs.
She is to appear in city court on those charges Sept. 1

58-year-old Shirleen Lucas says no one came out to help her as three dogs attacked her on Hulett Street early Monday morning. She says once the dogs were on her, they stayed on until police arrived with tasers.
"It seemed like an eternity," she told CBS6 News in her living room Wednesday night. "I was screaming. I screamed so loud and so hard and at one point I wasn't screaming anymore, I was just fighting."She says she punched one of the dogs and described one of them dragging her by the hair at one point. Lucas says the dogs bit her arms and legs, tore away part of her scalp and bit off part of each ear.
"The plastic surgeon (is) very optimistic I should say, about repairing my ears back to normal - both of them."
Lucas was released from Albany Medical Center Wednesday afternoon.
According to police, the owner of the dogs is 21-year-old Jasmine Tirado of Hulett Street. She was given one ticket for having an unlicensed dog and three tickets for harboring dangerous dogs. She is due in court September 12th. A woman who answered to the name Jasmine told CBS6 News she had nothing to say.
"I was walking down the street and (the dogs) saw me," says Lucas. "They looked up and saw me and they perked up and they started running toward me and I ran in this yard, I don't know whose yard it was. I don't know why they didn't hear me screaming and hollering in the yard, but the minute I got into the ambulance they came to the door."
According to Marguerite Pearson of the Animal Protective Foundation in Scotia, two of the dogs were brought there and were described by staff as being vicious and lunging at the cages they were in. Pearson is hopeful this case will not worsen pit bulls' already bad reputation.
"Here in Schenectady County, about half the dogs we take in are pit bulls," says Pearson, "and so many of them are wonderful dogs and we do an assessment to make sure they're going to be good compannions. We have to be really diligent in that becasue if people don't trust us to adopt out safe dogs, so many wonderful animals, some that happen to be pit bulls, are never going to find homes."
Lucas' daughter, Darcelle Lucas, said she believes someone wanted the dogs to attack her mother in a sort of canine street mugging. Lucas says she lost two bracelets and twenty dollars in the attack. Lucas says she was on her way home from a store. She says it was around 12:30 a.m. Police said it happened around 3:30 a.m.
"My blouse was drenched in blood, says Lucas. "They had to cut it off of me. Had to cut my skirt off. My skirt was full of blood."
Lucas says her family is helping in her healing, some of whom came in from out of state. On Wednesday evening her granddaughter came to visit with a gift - a cross she had decorated for someone she is happy to see alive.

Many dog owners can be pretty protective with their pooches, but sometimes it can get out of hand.

News1130 is getting reaction from local pet owners after an incident in Surrey yesterday, where a pitbull owner and her baby were pepper sprayed.

It started off as a fight between a doberman and a pitbull on 132A Street. The owners then got involved, and that's when one took out the pepper spray. The pitbull, its owner, and her six-month-old baby were all hit by the spray but weren't seriously injured.

At Vanier Park, Jackie says she's had to break up fights between her dog, Dexter and other dogs. "I've had to pull off a couple of dogs. I just keep an eye on mine... I can see when something's about to happen. I just get in there. I usually pull the big one off."

She adds she's seen other dog owners get into loud arguments but they never escalate into anything violent.

The 17-year-old owner of a “dangerously out of control” pit bull terrier faced four charges at Lerwick Sheriff Court today.Shaun Smith of Lerwick’s Ladies Drive had sentence deferred on two charges and a trial date set for the other two.
Smith pleaded guilty to his dog entering a garden in the town’s Cheyne Crescent on 10th July and attacking a man and a springer spaniel, injuring both.
He was also charged with not complying with a dog control notice when on 28th July at Da Vadill, Lerwick, his dog was not muzzled and was not fitted with an electronic transponder.
Smith admitted that the dog was not muzzled but his plea of not guilty to the transponder charge was not accepted.
Smith further pleaded not guilty to pursuing a man, unclipping the dog’s lead and pushing the dog towards the man at Da Vadill on 28th July. This was not accepted.
However Smith did admit that on 29th July at Ladies Drive he resisted, obstructed, molested and hindered two police constables, ran away and locked himself in a room, exerting pressure on the door so that officers could not open it.
The offences were committed when Smith was on bail.
Defence solicitor Tommy Allan said the dog had now been destroyed, but Sheriff Graeme Napier said that did not alter the fact that Smith, who is currently subject to supervision, probation and a curfew for previous offences, had breached his bail conditions.
Smith will appear in court again in October and bail was continued.

A Coachella police officer shot a dog that sent a 9-year-old girl to the hospital with a serious leg wound Tuesday night, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.The pit bull or pit bull mix attacked two girls who were walking along Avenue 48 near Jackson Street, according to the department.
Paramedics took the 9-year-old with the leg wound to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. The other girl, a 12-year-old, had minor injuries and was driven to a hospital by a relative.
Police found the dog outside a nearby restaurant and tried to keep it under control while waiting for an animal control officer, but the dog attacked them, according to the sheriff’s department.
An officer shot the dog, injuring but not killing the animal, which was taken by the animal control officer who later arrived.
Police will conduct an internal investigation since an officer used a firearm.
The city of Coachella contracts for police services from the sheriff’s department.

Monday, August 22, 2011

South Carolina's Supreme Court has unanimously agreed to let a lower court decide if a landlord is liable for damages in a dog bite case.
The Supreme Court's decision Monday says landlords could be found liable for a dog bite in a common area.
The Sumter County case involved a 2-year-old who had $17,000 in medical bills in 2003 after being bitten by a pit bull kept on a chain in a common area of an apartment complex. The dog had been kept there for 10 years and the landlord knew the dog had previously attacked someone.
A circuit judge in Sumter had dismissed the case because South Carolina law generally shields landlords from liabilities that their tenants create.
The case now heads back to the circuit court in Sumter.

A 30-year-old man was charged with three counts of felony animal cruelty earlier this month.

According to a Santa Rosa County Sheriff's report, three malnourished dogs were found on property that belonged to Michael Pace.
The first dog was an emaciated black female pit bull that had been left in the rain.
The second dog, which was a black male pit bull, was chained to a fence and also severely thin. That dog, according to the report, was so thin it could barely carry the weight of the chain.
The third dog was a pregnant gray-and-white pit bull.
All the dogs were confiscated.
"The dogs were so thin that they were taken to animal hospitals for immediate care," the report stated. "They were treated for starvation and malnourishment."
Pace, who was already in jail on an unrelated charge, told deputies only the female dogs were his, but that he was responsible for all three of them.
His bond was set at $5,000.

A man with 15 arrests, four felony convictions and eight misdemeanor charges, was arrested last Thursday afternoon after a scuffle with Yonkers Police officers that left several injured and one bitten by the man’s pit bull.

Two officers were alerted to a man selling jewelry in Bregano Park and when they spoke with them, he refused commands to remove his hand from his pocket. Police thought the man, identified as Jermaine Faulk, might have a weapon, so they grabbed his hand and a violent confrontation ensued during which Faulk punched the officers and pushed one toward his pit bull, which was tied to a nearby fence.

The officer was bitten by the dog and sustained deep puncture wounds to his back. As the struggle continued, Faulk tried to grab an officer’s gun from its holster, but police secured the weapon before he could get a hold of it.

Additional officers arrived and he was eventually handcuffed and arrested.

During the scuffle, one of the officers was forced to shoot and kill the dog after the animal tried to bite him.

A search of Faulk turned up 11 bags of heroin.

The first officers at the scene were treated for injuries including a broken hand, sprains, lacerations, and puncture wounds from the suspect’s dog.

Faulk’s most recent arrest was four weeks ago on drug charges in Yonkers.

He was charged in this latest incident with two counts of assault in the second degree, attempted robbery of the officer’s gun, drug possession, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.

Endicott police arrest a man accused of beating and abusing his dog.
George E. Clarke, 35, is charged with torturing and injuring animals, a misdemeanor under state Agriculture and Market law.
Endicott police say the arrest is the result of an incident that occurred on August 10 at Clarke's home in the Village of Endicott.
Clarke is accused of striking his dog, a male pit-bull, approximately 10 to 15 times in the mid section with a 2 by 4.
The dog was also pulled by a lead that was attached to its collar over a fence without supporting the dog's body.
The dog remains at Clarke's home.
The Endicott Police Department and the Broome County Humane Society are working to obtain a court order to possibly remove the animal from the residence.
Clarke was ordered to appear in the Village of Endicott Court at a later date.

A 36-year-old Fremont man was cited after his dog was accused of attacking a woman last week, Fremont Police reported.
Deputy Chief Jeff Elliott said a woman reported on Friday that she had been riding her bike Thursday while pulling her children behind her when she was attacked by a pit bull in the 1900 block of North Keene Avenue.
The dog's owner, Mickey Rahlfs, was cited for dog at large, animal bite and no dog license.
Elliott said the pit bull was quarantined at Dodge County Humane Society.

A 76-year-old man has been stabbed to death while leading Boy Scouts on a hiking trip in northern Indiana, and a suspect who battered his mother and killed a dog at their home nearby is under arrest, police said.

The assistant scout leader, Arthur L. Anderson, had stopped to identify a tree on the Nickel Plate Trail in Bunker Hill Sunday afternoon when an attacker approached him from behind and stabbed him in the neck, Indiana State Police said in a statement. Witnesses told police the attack was unprovoked.
Anderson, of Kokomo, Ind., "was doing probably the most innocent thing he could do, leading a group of Boy Scouts," Indiana State Police Sgt. Tony Slocum said. "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Officers later arrested Shane C. Golitko, 22, of Bunker Hill, after he ignored a state trooper's attempted traffic stop and led police on an eight-mile chase, the Indiana State Police said in a statement.
Police are holding Golitko without bond on a murder charge and two felony counts of battery at the Miami County Jail. He is due in Miami Circuit Court on Thursday morning.
Slocum said another adult on the hike shielded the two boys, aged 11 and 12, from the horror of the attack, then called 911. Anderson died at the scene despite the efforts of a nearby resident who performed first aid and emergency medical personnel who responded to the 911 call.
Police said Anderson had been involved in scouting for 50 years.
"It was a senseless act," Indiana State Police Detective Tony Frawley said of the attack.
A minute before the 911 call alerting authorities that Anderson had been stabbed, Golitko's mother Valerie Henson, called 911 to report that her son had assaulted her in a dispute at their home, about 150 yards south of the trail, state police said.
Henson told police that after she fled to a neighbor's house, her son walked to the trail where Anderson was later stabbed. She said her son later returned home, smashed up some of their belongings and stabbed the family's two dogs, a boxer and a pit bull. The boxer died.
Henson was treated for a broken arm. Slocum did not say what sparked the attack, nor what prompted the altercation between Henson and Golitko.
Miami County Prosecutor Bruce Embrey said Golitko had been arrested once before for possession of marijuana and went through a diversion program in which the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor.. Slocum said there was no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved in Sunday's attack.
Nick Losekamp, a district executive for the Boy Scouts' Sagamore Council in Kokomo, said Anderson was the assistant scoutmaster for the troop at the Redeemer Lutheran Church. Losekamp said he was a great leader, very much involved in mentoring the boys, training them to lead by example and motivate others.
"He was a nice guy," Losekamp said. "He was pretty much always there."

Sunday, August 21, 2011

A dog viciously attacked a British teenager, who suffered 28 bite wounds

Sixteen-year-old Anthony Armstrong was walking the bull mastiff-pitbull cross. When he tried to stroke it, the dog attacked him.

The Sun said the dog locked its jaws on him, flung him around and tore open his flesh.
Scott Singleton, a friend, and his mother Eileen were injured as they stabbed the dog 30 times with a knife and beat it to death to stop it from tearing Anthony to pieces.

"It was like a lion. It jumped on him, trying to bite his face, got him to the floor and dragged him in its jaws. He was screaming for his life but it had hold of his neck," Scott was quoted as saying.
"The dog savaged every part of him. You could see through his leg."

Saturday, August 20, 2011

A pair of dogs on the loose created a scary situation Friday night in a St. Petersburg neighborhood.
The incident ended just after 8 pm when an officer with the St. Petersburg Police Department was forced to shoot one of the canines after it attacked a Pinellas County Animal Services worker.
According to a St. Petersburg Police Department report an officer was dispatched to 2165 Country Club Court North in response to an aggressive animal call. The person who called told the officer the two ‘pit bulls’ followed her dog into their fenced in yard.
The dogs grew increasingly more aggressive and were corralled into the porch area of the residence until Animal Services arrived.
When the officer approached the dogs they attacked him, causing serious injuries to both of his arms.
The SPPD officer shot and killed one of the dogs and the other was quickly captured. The owner of the two animals has not yet been established as the investigation continues.

Authorities discovered about 240 marijuana plants and a malnourished pit bull puppy in a residence after a three-hour standoff Thursday, police said.

Officers did not find anyone inside the home and no arrests were made, Lt. Jeff Tudor said.
The incident began about 3:15 p.m., when officers responded to a call reporting that three men, including two who had guns, ran inside a home on the 2000 block of Fairbanks Street, west of Doolittle Drive, he said.
Officers, including the San Leandro police SWAT team and hostage negotiators, surrounded the house and multiple attempts were made to contact the people believed inside, police said.
About 5:45 p.m., officers entered the home through a garage door, but no one was there, he said.
The puppy was taken to an emergency pet clinic for treatment, police said.

In France, actress and animal advocate Brigitte Bardot is being crucified, by some, for coming to the defense of Prince - or, Ulk - the bull terrier, or pit bull depending on the reporter, who, according to reports, mauled a 4-, or 7-, year-old girl, named Carmen, in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Carmen, my heart goes out to her, suffered serious injuries to her eyes, ears, nose and forehead. Reports state that she is disfigured for life.
The incident happened as Carmen lay sleeping, or while she was playing with Prince at a party.
It is also being said that Prince was sleeping on a couch when Carmen wanted to kiss him.
Her mother, who is understandably upset, says, "My daughter tells me every day that she looks like a monster."

Prince is 6- or 8- years-old, according to reports. He was adopted by "Johnny", three weeks before the attack, from the Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA).
He had come to the shelter after his previous owner, a 60-year-old man, died of natural causes last autumn.
The man's death went undiscovered for two weeks, in which time Prince, then-named Ulk, turned to consuming portions of the body for survival.

Assessment's of Prince cleared him to go to a new home.
According to The Independent, the SPA advertised Prince for adoption on its website:

On the SPA website, Prince was described as "a good sort, easy to get on with", although it was not advised for people with families.

It is also referred to that "Johnny", upon adopting, or purchasing, brought along a "2 week old baby" when he picked up Prince.

Aside from the persecution of Ms. Bardot, the media is crucifying Prince.
At least one news source refers to Prince as "Monster of Boulogne."Much of the hysteria involved is due to Prince's "eating his previous owner" and getting the "taste of blood."

"Johnny" and Carmen's parents are taking legal action against the SPA claiming they were not told of his previous form.As of right now, I can only suppose that "form" is referring to eating the body of his previous owner.

The SPA disputes the claim.

What do I think?

Prince, apparently, grew up with a single adult male.
Since the owner's death was not discovered for two weeks, it can be assumed that he and the dog lived a life of quiet solitude.
No children. Not much socialization beyond his owner.
Taking a dog raised in such an environment and thrusting him into a 'party' atmosphere or family situation is unconscionable.

I agree with Ms. Bardot and support her efforts to save Prince.

Prince is not a monster. He is a dog and has displayed normal dog behavior.Waking a sleeping dog is one of the most common reasons for a dog biting.

Saving the life of Prince does nothing to trivialize the injuries, physical and psychological, inflicted upon Carmen, and I wish her a speedy and full recovery.

Prince is no more dangerous than the people responsible for putting him in this situation.
Justice can be achieved for Carmen by holding those people accountable.